1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for the production of a diet food. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method a method for producing a diet food with medicinal herbs by: preparing a composition comprising 75 parts by weight of at least one medicinal herb selected from the first herb group consisting of Cnidium monnieri (L Cusson, schisandra fruits, cassia seeds, citrus peel, fennel, Atractylodes macrocephala, clove, and red ginseng, all of which require relatively low temperatures for extraction, with a high content of essential oil and high-temperature degradable ingredients and can prevent and suppress obesity by aiding digestion and renal activity, 15 parts by weight of at least one medicinal herb selected from the second group consisting of Astragalus membranaceus, Malva verticillate L. seeds, plantago seeds, Wolfiporia cocos, Pueraria lobata, Polyporus umbellatus, Phaseoli semen, and adlay, all of which promote urination and blood and glucose metabolism and normalize dysmetabolisms, thus being useful in the prevention and treatment of obesity, and 10 parts by weight of at least one medicinal herb selected from the third group consisting of lycium berries, Acanthopanax sessilflorum Seeman, and Bupleurum falcatum L., all of which are rich in polysaccharides and suppress the accumulation of fat in the body and reduce blood cholesterol levels and lipotropic activity, thus being useful in the treatment of hyperlipidemia and acute and chronic renal failure; extracting the medicinal herb of the first group with an aqueous alcohol solution at a temperature around the boiling point of the alcohol, evaporating the alcohol to give a liquid extract and a solid residue, and separating the liquid extract from the solid residue; extracting both the medicinal herbs of the second and the third groups with an aqueous alcohol solution at a temperature around the boiling point of the alcohol; admixing the solid residue from the first group with the extract from both the second and the third group, heating the admixture at 110˜115° C. under elevated pressure to give a liquid extract and a solid residue, and separating the liquid extract from the solid residue; and combining this liquid extract with the liquid extract from the first group, concentrating the combination at room temperature under a reduced pressure, and optionally freeze-drying the concentrated extract and pulverizing it into a powder.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
Obesity is typically the result of various factors including intake of excessive calories, lack of exercise, genes, etc. In an aspect of physiology, obesity results from endocrinopathy which induces the impairment of digestive and renal functions, abnormal metabolism, and an increase in blood cholesterol and lipid levels. Once lipids enter cells, they may undergo one of two routes, degradation and accumulation. When enzymes involved in degradation pathways are activated, the consumption of energy is promoted by degrading, for example, lipids. On the other hand, when energy is sufficient, the lipids are stored in adipose cells. Thus, the poor efficiency of energy consumption due to an imbalance between energy intake and consumption induces the accumulation of lipids, resulting in obesity.
The accumulation of excessive lipids in the body results in the impairment of physiological functions which leads to the onset of various chronic diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, lipid metabolism disorders, etc.
Examples of the currently used anti-obesity drugs include the anorexing agents benzphetamine and methamphetamine that stimulate the hypothalamus to restrain appetite, oristat that is a potent inhibitor of pancreastic lipase functioning to prevent the absorption of fats in the diet, and acarbose, which is also an anti-diabetic drug functioning as an α-glucosidase inhibitor. These drugs are effective in the treatment of obesity, but with the concomitant occurrence of side effects such as insomnia, nervousness, increase of blood pressure, gastrointestinal problems, impairment of choleresis, and reduced absorption of lipid-soluble vitamins. In response to the demand for anti-obesity functional foods free of side effects, many products have recently been developed.
Diet foods prepared from natural materials have been introduced.
Korean Patent No. 437699 discloses a herbal extract for the diet which is prepared by immersing a herb mixture of ginseng, Astragalus membranaceus, Imperata cylindrica, Pinellia tuber, adlay, Ganoderma lucidum, Wolfiporia cocos, lotus leaves and Lonicera japonica Thunberg in water for a predetermined period of time and boiling it. However, this extraction method is not effective because the resulting extracts have different nutritional or pharmaceutical ingredients depending on whether water, alcohol, or aqueous alcohol was used as the extraction solvent. Particularly, Pinellia tuber is known to be toxic.
Korean Patent No. 856241 discloses an agar-based diet food composition which is prepared by powdering agar, Garcinia cambogia, indigestible maltodextrin, various cereals, lactic acid bacteria, green tea leaf, L-carnitine, poria, Astragalus membranaceus, Houttuynia cordata Thunberg, beans, soy proteins, kale, carrots, angelica, chicory, edible fibers, tangleweed, kuzu vine roots, and pumpkin and mixing the powders in a suitable ratio. However, nowhere is even a method of formulating or forming the composition presented in the patent although the medicinal herbs have different properties and ingredients amongst them. In addition, the diet food composition is nothing but a simple mixture of powdered herbs and thus effects superior to those of individual ingredients cannot be anticipated.
Various other products have been introduced, but their effects have not yet been confirmed.